I'll Be Seeing You
by lamadeliadalai
Summary: This is my version of "The Notebook" as a Kurt and Blaine fic. The story of the summer two North Carolina boys fell in love and how war, family and society tried to rip them apart.  KLAINE.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Recognizable characters are property of "Glee" and recognizable elements of the storyline are property of Nicholas Sparks. No infringement is intended and no money is being made. Entertainment purposes only

Author's Note: So this is my Kurt and Blaine interpretation of the book/movie "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks. I've made a couple of adjustments to plot, characters and setting where I've seen fit. Since the majority of the story takes place in the 30s/40s I've done my best to remain true to the history of the period in America. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

**Prologue**

I am no one special. A common man, with common thoughts. There aren't any books with my name on the cover, and it's unlikely that anyone outside the borders of this town even knows my name.

I am not a rich man, nor one of great success. I suppose the world looks on me now as nothing more than a simple old man. I am plain; this does not bother me.

The only part of my life that will survive my death is an old house in North Carolina, surrounded by willow trees and rolling hills. A house that was once filled with love, but now holds only shadows.

In my old age, the weight of my life bears down on me. Admittedly, most of that weight is the doings of my overactive imagination and my severe arthritis.

And yet, despite my own failings and my utter lack of accomplishment I know have done one thing right. I have loved another. I have loved another so surely, so steadily, so unyieldingly that it shaped everything else around me. It has been the true constant in my life; a guiding force through what was otherwise an unsteady course.

That is, until recently.

I walk slowly through the halls of the nursing home, my movements made difficult by the rain. There is only one reason I am out of bed today.

I approach the nurse's station and am glad to see a familiar red head in pale pink scrubs sitting behind it.

Emma looks up from her paperwork and smiles at me when I walk up to the desk. She answers my question before I can ask it.

"Yes, you can see him today Blaine. He's doing well."

Preparing myself for what is to come, I clutch the faded moleskin notebook closer to my chest and straighten the salt and pepper bowtie around my neck.

Emma rises from her seat behind the desk and accompanies me. He doesn't like strangers, so it's better if she goes in first, and introduces me. Again.

When Emma and I enter the small beige room together, he doesn't get even look up, or take any notice at all. He's sitting in the rocking chair, facing that window that looks out across the pond. His eyes follow the raindrops that slide over the glass pane. Emma approaches him cautiously and places a gentle hand on his shoulder to stir him from his reverie.

He looks up at Emma and smiles warmly. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. It is a good day. Some days he growls at her, and snaps that he wants to be left alone. Those are the days that recognition is hardest. For both of us.

She speaks to him in her most soothing voice, motioning to me. "Kurt, this is...Robert. He's here to read to you today."

I cringe inwardly at the fake name. It feels deceitful; lying to him outright. But it's for his benefit. He doesn't know Blaine, or at least not yet.

At this, he turns to survey me critically. His pale blue eyes sweep over my hunched frame and I am both saddened and tempted to chuckle at the same time. The lack of recognition on his face stings every time, but I also know that he's appraising the length of my cardigan and the colour of my bowtie.

It's a small comfort.

"Hello Kurt."

He doesn't seem overly impressed by me, he seems aloof. He nods indiscriminately in my direction, as if giving me permission to come in if I must.

Emma gives me a reassuring nod and motions to the chair opposite where Kurt is sitting. As I cross the room, Emma moves towards the door and presses a comforting hand to my shoulder as she passes.

I ignore the angry pain in my knees and my back as I lower myself into the chintz armchair. It's absurd how difficult the little things have become.

I sit quietly with the notebook on my lap, waiting for Kurt to acknowledge me. Things have to be on his terms, or else they won't work. So I wait as he stares out the window. Despite everything, there's still nowhere else I'd rather be.

I can't tell where he is in his mind. The vacant look in his eyes tells me he's lost. In thought or the absence of it, I can't judge.

Finally he turns to me. "Who are you again?"

I run my fingers through my head of grey curls nervously and reply,

"Robert. I live here too, and sometimes I like to read to y-...all of the residents."

"Oh."

Kurt turns back to the window and his eyes glaze over again. Luckily for me, something seems to snap him back to the present before long.

"Have we met before?"

It's not one of his usual questions and it startles me. Does he remember something? My mind races, but I give him the prescribed answer because it's safest.

"No."

It's always better to go with the usual answers instead of risking saying something that would frighten him. It had happened before. I said something I shouldn't have. I moved too fast, jumped ahead in the story. I'd been impatient and it had ruined everything. Instead of coming back to me, recognition in his eyes, I had seen only fear. He'd started to yell, and backed himself into the corner of the room, yelling at me to get out, screaming for help. The nurses had run in, escorting me out as they tried to comfort a shaking and crying Kurt. I had done that to him. Me. I'd become the enemy. I didn't get out of my bed for days, after that.

Yes, the safe answer was better.

"No, we haven't. But I promise I'm a pretty nice guy."

At this, Kurt smiles warily.

"So...you're going to...read?" Kurt asks, motioning to the notebook on my lap.

"Yes. If you'd like me to."

"As long as it's not science fiction." Kurt replies and I smile at the hint of his sass in his voice.

"Definitely not. It's something a little...closer to home."

I fumble with the pages a bit because my fingers are swollen and sore and Kurt surprises me by reaching over and opening the book for me. His fingers are still agile and adept, despite his many other ailments.

I have to restrain myself from noticeably flinching when his fingers accidentally brush mine. It's the smallest thing. The touch of finger tips is as simple as it gets. And yet it makes my heart beat crooked inside my chest.

I collect myself again, staring down at the all too familiar first page. Just looking at the first sentence causes a thousand memories to rise up from the dust and brush themselves off.

"So what's it about then? Kurt asks innocently, and I know that his memories are still buried.

I smile, telling him as I always do,

"It's a love story."


	2. Chapter 1

_Raleigh, North Carolina_

_June 1938_

"Finn. She's not coming. We've been here for hours." Blaine complained from his spot perched atop the fencepost at the edge of the fairgrounds.

Finn ignored him and continued scanning the bustling crowd.

Blaine chewed impatiently at the stalk of bluegrass in his mouth; he was desperately hot and his back was stiff from sitting on the fencepost for so long.

"C'mon, let's go down to the river for a swim." Blaine suggested, pushing his dark, sweaty curls off his forehead and back beneath the brim of his newsboy cap.

Finn waved his hand at Blaine impatiently. "She said she'd be here; she'll be here."

Blaine groaned and slid off the fence to lie in the grass. This was not how he envisioned starting off his summer vacation. Rolling onto his stomach, Blaine watched the hordes of people wandering about the brightly lit, bustling fairgrounds. It was dusk, and the air was filled with the sounds of carnival games and the smell of popcorn.

"There she is!" Finn suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a petite dark haired girl in a light pink dress standing over by the Ferris wheel.

"Hey Rachel!" Finn started bounding across the field towards her before Blaine even had a chance to pull himself up off the ground.

Blaine meandered over to them slowly, reluctant to begin what would surely be an exhausting conversation with the loquacious Rachel Berry.

When he finally reached the place where Finn and Rachel were standing, the pair were already engaged in an animated conversation. Blaine's attention, however, had shifted.

There was a tall boy standing slightly off to the side, behind Rachel; someone he didn't recognize. Raleigh was a small town and it was unusual to stumble upon an unfamiliar face. Blaine's gaze had been drawn in by the boy's clothing; he was impeccably dressed, in a pressed shirt and a dark fedora. Blaine glanced down at his own attire self consciously; his pants were creased and his shirt was so dirty he had no idea what colour it was even supposed to be.

The thing that held Blaine's attention though, were his eyes. They were startlingly blue and piercing. Before Blaine had time to give anymore thought to the unidentified boy, Rachel interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh, Finn, Blaine, this is my cousin, Kurt Hummel. His family is staying in town for the summer so I thought I'd show him around!"

In light of this new information, Blaine appraised the boy again. It made sense that he was Rachel's cousin- he looked as if he came from the same family; a family with money.

Most of the night passed in a blur; Blaine was distracted by Kurt's presence. He found himself deeply intrigued Kurt, but he couldn't figure out why. He justified it to himself that he would pay the same amount of attention to any new kid in town, but he knew that wasn't the case. There was something in those eyes.

Eventually the foursome found themselves in line for the towering Ferris wheel. Rachel bobbed excitedly on Finn's arm as they approached the front of the line while Kurt on the other hand, looked more and more apprehensive the closer they got.

It wasn't until it was finally their turn and Finn and Rachel had clambered in to one of the two person carts that they realized their problem.

The Ferris wheel was traditionally a "couples" activity; it seemed a bit strange for two almost full grown men to ride together. Kurt looked uncomfortably at Blaine, but Blaine just shrugged, unfazed.

"I waited all this time in that dumb line, I'm going on it."

"Come on Kurt," urged Rachel, "It's a great view from the top. Perfect way to see Raleigh for the first time!"

Blaine waited patiently until Kurt gave in to Rachel's incessant pestering and they both climbed in.

He sat as far away from Blaine in the cart as he possibly could and gripped the safety bar across their laps with white knuckles. Kurt peered nervously over the rail before snapping his head back quickly and pressing his back against the seat as close as he could.

Blaine couldn't help but chuckle as he asked, "You afraid of heights?"

They were the first words Blaine had spoken to Kurt all night.

Kurt instantly loosened his grip on the rail. "No, no I just- don't like Ferris wheels."

"You are afraid aren't you?"

Blaine was laughing outright now. He wasn't trying to be cruel, he was just amused that the calm and collected boy that had managed to remain so perfectly aloof the whole evening was coming undone over such a tame carnival ride.

"Aw, it's nothing to scared of," Blaine cajoled him, "Look, it's steady as a rock." As Blaine spoke, he started swinging the carriage back and forth with his body.

Kurt turned a little green. "Please- please - stop." he said, through gritted teeth.

"You wouldn't even die if you fell from this height." Blaine assured him, peering over the edge.

Kurt scoffed. "I think you definitely would."

It was too tempting. Blaine grinned wickedly at Kurt and said, "Care to test that theory?" as he swung open the bar holding them into their seats.

"What the hell are you doing, you lunatic?" Kurt's eyes were as wide as dinner plates and his mouth hung agape as Blaine went back to swaying the carriage with his weight again. Kurt started to slide forward in his seat a little and he gripped the cushion for dear life.

Blaine laughed. "Come on, live a little." He winked at Kurt as he latched onto the rung above their heads and swung off.

Blaine was now dangling in the air at the top of the Ferris wheel as if it were just a set of monkey bars.

"Get down from there right now before you get us both _killed!" _Kurt yelled shrilly.

Blaine looked back at him unconcerned. "It's kind of nice out here. I'm enjoying the breeze." He grinned cheekily at Kurt while Kurt panicked.

"I swear to god if you don't get back in here right now..."

Blaine chuckled as he swung comfortably from the top of the Ferris wheel, but his fun was interrupted by Rachel's voice bellowing from one car below them.

"Blaine Anderson! Get down from there right this MINUTE!"

Finn just chuckled from his spot beside Rachel. He was used to Blaine's antics.

Blaine rolled his eyes and swung himself back into his seat and to safety; anything to make Rachel shut up.

As the Ferris wheel descended, Kurt didn't say another word to Blaine. He stared fixedly in the opposite direction the entire time, arms crossed tightly over his chest. When they finally reached the ground, Kurt moved as far away from Blaine as possible.

Blaine felt a twinge of regret. He hadn't meant to scare Kurt off completely; he just wanted him to have a little fun, loosen up a bit.

When the group finally decided to start walking home, Finn and Rachel ducked into the alleyway between the general store and the grocer's with their lips locked. This left Kurt and Blaine strolling down the main street together.

Kurt didn't even acknowledge Blaine's presence.

"Have I done something to offend you?" Blaine asked, when he couldn't stand the silence longer.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Offend me? You almost got me killed!"

"I think you're mostly just mad because now everyone knows how afraid of heights you are. It was just a bit of fun." Blaine smiled deviously at Kurt.

"You call almost dying _fun_?" Kurt asked sceptically.

"Hearing you scream like a girl was pretty fun." Blaine replied.

"I did not scream like a girl! I- -I...yeah. I guess I did." Kurt mumbled. "Regardless, I still think you're a complete head case."

"Don't you ever do anything just to get your heart racing?"

Kurt studied Blaine strangely for a moment before saying,

"No. Unlike you, I don't get any real pleasure from near death experiences."

"Do you ever do anything just for fun? Just for the thrill? Or are rich people not allowed to have fun?" Blaine asked, only half joking.

"I have fun!" Kurt replied indignantly. "I take piano lessons and...I play chess and tennis and..."

"How about something your parents didn't make you do?"

"Well fine. Got any ideas then?"

Blaine was surprised by the teasing nature of Kurt's response, as well as intrigued by the hint of a challenge in his voice. He chewed his bottom lip for a moment in thought before grabbing Kurt's hand and dragging him into the middle of the street.

Blaine felt Kurt's hand flinch at the sudden contact, but he ignored it and held on.

Before Kurt could object, Blaine lay down flat on his back in the middle of the road.

"What are you even..." Kurt began.

But Blaine yanked him down to the ground beside him before he could ask any more questions.

"Why are we lying in the street? This is a new shirt!" Kurt asked.

"Oh hush. Look at the sky." Blaine instructed him.

The two boys turned their eyes upwards and took in the inky blackness. It was peppered with thousands of bright stars. Blaine felt Kurt breathe in deeply beside him and exhale steadily.

"You like it?" he asked.

"It's been a really long time since I looked at the stars." Kurt replied with a hint of regret in his voice.

"So what happens if a car comes?" Kurt asked turning to look at Blaine.

Blaine looked back at him and replied stoically, "You die."

"I'm beginning to think you have a serious death wish." Kurt said as he punched Blaine in the arm.

"In the words of Walt Whitman, 'Do anything, but let it produce joy'" Blaine replied, staring intently at Kurt.

Kurt returned his gaze, and Blaine felt unsettled by it. Kurt's eyes were so penetrating, he felt as if they could see right through him. However, he didn't break the gaze.

He noticed Kurt's cheeks were slightly flushed and that he fidgeted under Blaine's intense gaze.

Their eye contact was broken by the sound of tires on gravel and headlights in front of them.

"Shit!" Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and yanked him up as the car approached. They scrambled to get off the road just as the car zoomed past.

And with that, it was gone. Whatever Blaine had imagined to be strung between them disappeared into wisps of thin air. He tasted the bitterness of disappointment in his mouth. Kurt turned away from him as they stood on the sidewalk and there was suddenly distance between them. Kurt wouldn't even look at him and Blaine mentally kicked himself for whatever he had done to deserve the sudden cold shoulder.

"I'm going to go find Rachel. Thanks for almost getting me killed. Really thrilling." Kurt quipped.

Blaine's eyebrows knit together in confusion at Kurt's abrupt change in attitude. He tried to hide the disappointment that was surely written all over his face from Kurt, but the other boy had already turned away and started walking home.

"Hey," Blaine called to him, "do I get to see you again?"

"I don't think so." Kurt called over his shoulder.

As Kurt continued to walk away from him, he tried not to feel the sting of regret in his chest or the familiar feeling of loss settling in his stomach. It wouldn't be the first time that Blaine had lost a friend when he had let his gaze linger a little too long or touched the hand of another boy.

Sighing heavily, Blaine realized that Kurt had probably just labelled him in exactly the same way that all the others had: as a fag.

**Please Review! Thanks guys!**


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